A Twitchers Tale.

I'm not known as a twitcher, but have on ocassions been known to contradict my claim that I'm not one, and a search through my records came up with the date Friday 2 February 2007, a sunny and mild day when with John Bateman and Brian Townson we drove to Bingley in the White Rose County of Yorkshire where we had excellent views of a first winter American Robin which had been in the area for several days. 

American Robin. Martin Lofgren.

The American Robin is the most widespread N American thrush, and is a colourful bird which goes some way to make me understand what gives lots of birders the urge to twitch - and in some cases drive hundreds of miles - to see a bird you've never seen in your life before.

The American Robin has some interesting history connected to it in Britain and Ireland. The first record in Britain was of a bird on Lundy, Devon in 1952, and was found following a period of strong westerly winds responsible for a massive wreck of Leach's Storm-petrels. It was eventually driven into a Heligoland trap, ringed and noted to have lost almost 40% of it's body weight. But this record in Britain was predated when an old Irish record of a bird at Shankill, Co Dublin in 1891 was reviewed, accepted, and subsequently preceded the British record on Lundy in 1952. But the actual first mention of American Robin in Britain was from Dover, Kent in 1876, but it was considered to have escaped from a passing ship.

A failed attempt by one Lord Northcliffe, to introduce American Robin to Britain in Guildford, Surrey, was probably responsible for a bird that built a nest in Richmond Park in May 1912.

Pacific Diver Farnham GP 2007. Pete Woodruff.

But Friday 2 February 2007 was a double bonus day, and after we'd had our fill of the American Robin we were off across country to see another 'MEGA' bird which by amazing coincidence was in the same County of Yorkshire at Farnham Gravel Pits near knaresborough. This was a juvenile Pacific Diver and a first for Britain which gave excellent views and had been present here about a month since early January, the news of which had initially been suppressed the site being a private one. 

The Pacific Diver is a largely Nearctic species that breeds from Alaska across N Canada and also occurs in NE Siberia. Hard to understand why a bird which leaves the frozen waters of N America to winter along the Pacific coasts as far south as China and California, to end up on an inland gravel pit in Yorkshire. Even more amazing is that a total of three of this species were found in GB in 2007, with the bird in Yorkshire Jan/Feb, the second at Llys-y-Fran in Pembrokeshire, and the third at Mounts Bay in Cornwall, both these birds present Feb/March....truly amazing.

Thanks to Martin Lofgren at Wild Bird Gallery for allowing me to use his excellent image of the American Robin, and to PW for his photographic efforts with the 'Yorkshire' juvenile Pacific Diver.

I'd sooner be birding!....but can't/aren't....maybe tomorrow.

Off The Road....And Poisoned.

Unfortunately for me 'other things' have taken over from my birding once more which don't create material suitable for Birds2blog. So an opportunity to take a look at another issue in the real world concerning and affecting the birds in a lethal way.

Lead....A highly toxic metal.

So why are waterbirds still suffering from lead poisoning (LP), well because they're ingesting lead shot, and these are the unlucky ones because if the shot had been a direct hit, death would have been more instant than the lingering one the LP will cause. If you ever had the misfortune to find a bird suffering from LP, they become emaciated, have convulsions, diarrhoea, and the inability to walk, all very distressing sights to see in a poisoned bird.

The use of lead shot has been banned since the early - mid 1990's in The Netherlands, Norway, and Denmark, and there are restrictions on its use in the UK, it is banned for shooting over the foreshore and specified SSSI, and for hunting wildfowl in all areas. But despite these restrictions lead is shown to kill waterbirds in Britain, and the vast majority of shot fired from shotguns falls into the environment and is never retrieved. There is no safe level of lead, and once ingested and absorbed into the blood stream it affects all body systems.

The Whooper and Bewick's Swans will be arriving anytime soon to spend the winter months on our shores and these are particularly susceptible to LP because they commonly forage on agricultural land where game birds are gunned down with lead shot which takes tens - if not hundreds - of years to breakdown leaving it accessible to feeding waterbirds all this time.

Compliance with the restrictions in England is claimed to be poor - nothing new there then within the shooting fraternity is there - with nearly three quarters of almost 500 ducks - including Teal, Mallard, and Wigeon - sold by game suppliers being illegally shot with lead. 

Which brings my piece on lead shot nicely to an end with a reminder that the question about the suppliers of Red Grouse to M and S hasn't gone away I can assure you.

  

Thanks to RBA and the weather being favourable for such happenings, I was kept informed all day yesterday of the movement of Leach's Petrel particular from the Wirral and the River Mersey, and a repeat today with in excess of 100 Leach's Petrel past Hilbre Island by late morning.... 

Leach's Petrel. Copy Permitted.

....but this little beauty was much closer to home yesterday, and came close in at Knott End in the afternoon. No need to be on a pelagic for this one the image of which easily qualifies for the 'BRILLIANT' tag.

Curlew Sandpiper. John Darbyshire.

Still lots of Curlew Sandpiper around too. Thanks for this JD and for being in touch again, much appreciated. 

I'D SOONER BE BIRDING!....With luck maybe tomorrow.

21st Century Guardians....

....with the 'traditional' photographs to start with...and one to end with.

 Blackcap Antonio Puigg

Two brilliant images of the male and female Blackcap. Thank You Antonio....Viva España.

 Leach's Petrel Paul Foster

PF made the effort to get to the Mersey Estuary in the stiff north westerlies last week and was rewarded by multi sightings of Leach's Petrel, his two images above give good views of the birds upper and underpart markings for ID....Great stuff Paul and Thank You.

Guardians of the Countryside.

I'm living in the hope of some birding sometime soon, but don't worry I'm not likely to get bored in waiting, all I have to do is to try to keep up to date on the comings....goings....and doings of our dearly beloved 'Guardians of the Countryside' and if you really want people to call you a birder in the full sense, then perhaps you should too. 

Here's a rare opportunity to look into the world of the 'Modern Gamekeeper'....but be prepared to accept what you see as genuine - I do - and to read through all the long list to be shocked that there are others like this 'being'  who share the same planet and breath the same air as you do. Maybe you'll end up being even more worried about our wildlife than you was before you read This

Sanderling Geoff Gradwell 

This photograph of the Sanderling in flight is the best 'full frame' I can recall ever seeing of this particular species. Frozen in time to perfection....thanks a lot Geoff.

And finally....

Image. Pete Woodruff.

This insect was in our garden yesterday and I'm never keen to see something I can't ID which is very often unfortunately. It can obviously fly as I looked away for a second and it was gone when I looked again....anyone please!

I'D SOONER BE BIRDING!....but not looking good weatherwise. 

A little pm.

It was after noon before I escaped the 'other things' yesterday and I decided as it was just about high tide I'd give Cockersands a go on the principal you never know, the wind may just put some sea birds my way. Having found a sheltered spot behind the Lighthouse Cottage I gave an hour glaring out to sea through a piece of glass magnified between 20/60 to be rewarded by nothing more than a glimpse of a small dark feathered object miles out to sea and rising above the troughs every now and again....the bird entered my little black book as a 'petrel' sp probably Leach's Petrel.

  Sanderling Geoff Gradwell 

I reckoned to get a 'short list' Plover Scar would be a good idea as the tide had just about swallowed it all up save the inland end, it held a couple of Cockersands scarcities 2 Sanderling, being the 'little things please little minds' kind of birder I am the record made my day.

Ringed Plover Marc Heath 

Also of note on the scar, numbers were similar to a couple of recent visits here, c.225 Dunlin and c.125 Ringed Plover, with 12 Turnstone and a Wheatear seen.

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock 3 Mediterranean Gull were all adult and included the green ringed individual seen here 23 August and still too far to read again today. Also noted, the adult Whooper Swan, 45 Black-tailed Godwit, and 15 Cormorant hauled out in a line on the mud. A Peregrine Falcon was perched on a great tree trunk of the edge of Colloway Marsh patiently waiting to take to the wing and commit its next act of anti-social behaviour.

Little Grebe Noushka Dufort 

A brief look in on Conder Pool on the way to Lancaster showed 4 Little Grebe and a Little Egret....It's always something of an extra reward to see a Little Egret on Conder Pool. 

Thank you Geoff/Marc/Noushka for two brilliant waders and Little Grebe, they are much appreciated.

Out of time!

Out of time for blogging today and not your average weekend birder so....here's a few 'bits and pieces' mainly excellent photographs.

Leach's Petrel. SP.

Photographic opportunities like this don't come every day and this one of the windblown Leach's Petrel came for SP at Knott End this week during the blow which had good numbers of these birds off course along our coastlines, I myself was lucky to be at Cockersands at the right time on Tuesday to find one fluttering by at a location less likely to have been than the one round the corner at Heysham. An excellent pic, SP having made full use of the opportunity.

Masked Duck. Colin Bushell.

More excellent photographs, this of a bird I'm never likely to ever see the drake Masked Duck, just one of the many species CB is currently seeing in Brazil, and....

Masked Duck. Colin Bushell.

Two ducks of the same....Thanks for these Colin, of course you won't know this but I'm often green with envy sat staring at my monitor when I read your accounts and see your photographs of these wonderful birds you keep finding.

Farming Methods! Warren Baker. 

And to end with....

Hows this for nonsense on a monumental scale. In this photograph we see a farmer who is either 'off his head' or just a cunning steward of the countryside, either way this guy is almost certainly claiming a supplementary payment for 'trimming' this minute tree which is causing no problems to anyone or anything....the mind boggles. Thanks for the pic Warren, it's one of your best in its category. 

I'D SOONER BE BIRDING!